Rahadoum
The nation of Rahadoum (pronounced rah-ha-DOOM) is unique in the world in that it is the only nation to completely ban religion. While it may sound like a strange doctrine, the ways of the Kingdom of Man have provided centuries of peace and stability and few other nations can claim the same. Life in Rahadoum is not without turmoil—plagues, pirates, famine, giant beetles, and an ever-expanding desert present the Rahadoumi with plenty of problems, but without any gods to pray to, the onus of dealing with them falls squarely on the shoulders of man. Geography Rahadoum is an arid, desert nation on the northwestern corner of Garund. Some regions of the realm are more fertile than others (primarily along the banks of the nation's few rivers and the Eternal Oasis), but the desert grows each day and is constantly encroaching on civilization. Rahadoum's northern border is formed by the Inner Sea and its western edge abuts directly on the Arcadian Ocean, making sea trade both easy and lucrative for the Kingdom of Man. The nortwesternmost tip of the nation is actually occupied by the nation of Cheliax and is not considered part of Rahadoum, but rather the Chelish colony of Kharijite. Rahadoum borders Thuvia to the east where the Uta River provides a natural division between the nations, and the Mwangi Expanse and Sodden Lands to the south. Settlements * Azir * Botosani * Manaket Trade The country’s fine cloth, exotic produce and gemstones are sought after by foreign merchants. Other exports include salt, dates, tropical fruit (from the Eternal Oasis), base metals, tools and herbal remedies. Rahadoum’s trade is hindered by Cheliax’s control of the Arch of Aroden. Cheliax supports a number of privateer fleets, which attack non-Chelish shipping using the Arch. In response, Rahadoum conscripted its native merchant vessels into a massive merchant marine fleet. This tactic has been so successful that merchants of other nations wishing to transport goods westwards through the Arch have taken to using armed Rahadoum ships to do so. Typically they hand over their cargo in Manaket, then travel across country to Azir to reclaim it once it has passed through the Arch. Government The Kingdom of Man is ruled by a council of elders comprised of representatives from every major settlement and nomadic group. Overseeing the council, the Keeper of the First Law is elected from within the council and serves for a five-year term. Keepers are rarely re-elected and the resulting lack of institutional memory leads other nations to see Rahadoum as somewhat fickle, often waiting out the terms of a Keeper they find difficult to deal with. The seat of government is Azir, the nation's largest city. The rulers and citizens of Rahadoum follow the Laws of Man, written by Kalim Onaku in 2555 AR which strictly prohibit religion of any kind within the borders of the land. The government's primary military and peacekeeping force, especially with respect to the quelling of religious cults, speech and paraphernalia, is the Pure Legion. Though few nations enter into dealings with the Kingdom of Man, always wary of such an adamantly atheistic society, Rahadoum has few open enemies. There are certainly tensions with nations in which religion holds influence, such as diabolical Cheliax or the Thuvia, where cults of Sarenrae hold sway. Other nations, like Osirion, take a more pragmatic approach, appreciating the stable government and safe ports Rahadoum offers and trading for the fine textiles, gems and exotic produce. History The An Dynasty sent fleets to conquer what is now Thuvia and Rahadoum after Pharaoh An-Hepsu II established the port of Totra in Osirion in -2587 AR. During much of the Age of Destiny and Age of Enthronement, Rahadoum was part of the expansive kingdom of Osirion, but when the Land of Pharaohs fell to Keleshite rule in 1532 AR, the peace that had been known for millennia quickly dissipated. Zealous missionaries of the church of Sarenrae spread their faith westward from Thuvia in the third millennium of the Age of Enthronement, encountering strong resistance from the established faiths of Nethys and Norgorber who had large cults in the city-states of present-day Rahadoum. The religious war that followed between the devout of the three gods came to be known as the Oath Wars and they wracked the region for more than sixty years, from 2498-2560 AR. The Oath Wars were ended in 2555 AR by the militia of Azir led by the philosopher Kalim Onaku, who put the city's temples to the torch and demanded that all citizens, both of Azir and neighboring city-states, swear off their faiths and follow the new Laws of Man, the first of which is "Let no man be beholden to a god." Over the course of five years, the Laws spread across the region, and the nation of Rahadoum was born. The Red Mantis assassins (followers of Achaekek), were based in Azir, and had found their services much in demand during the Wars. The ban on religion forced them to relocate to Mediogalti Island. Religion The primary tenet of rule in Rahadoum is the First Law, which prohibits religion in any form. All faiths have a presence in the nation, but to date, no religion has managed to become powerful enough to pull the nation from its strict avoidance of the divine, and all worship is done in secret. Current whispers speak of a growing cult of Iomedae in Botosani but the Pure Legion has been unable to locate or dissipate any such congregation. But despite, or perhaps because of, its strict forbiddance of worshiping any deity, many representatives of warring religious sects use Azir as a neutral ground for negotiations. People Most inhabitants of Rahadoum are human, with the most common ethnicities being Garundi and Bonuwat and Mauzi Mwangi. Given the nation's strictures against religion, it is rare to find clerics from or living in the Kingdom of Man. The nation's prestigious wizarding colleges (such as the Occularium in Manaket) teach a pragmatic form of magic devoid of overt spirituality and arcanists and engineers are always in demand to help fight the encroaching desert with walls, canals, and wind-diverting magic. The place in society normally occupied by religion is instead filled with a deep respect for rhetoric and philosophy and most Rahadoumi are well educated and active civic participants. Since no religious tenets define morality or acceptable behaviors, Rahadoumi place high value on self-discipline and family loyalty, especially among nomads. Centuries of facing their own destinies without the guarantee of a favorable welcome by Pharasma has left many in the Kingdom of Man darkly optimistic, possessing faith in themselves since they have no one else to depend on but each other, believing that they must make the most of their mortal lives despite all the hardships. Foreigners must submit to a thorough search by the Pure Legion upon arrival in Rahadoum, either by ship or overland. Possession of contraband items such as holy symbols or religious artifacts carries heavy fines and potential exile, while preaching religious doctrine garners much harsher punishments, including imprisonment or worse. References Category:Nations of Garund Category:Lawful neutral nations Category:Nations